It has been a week since I headed to Hilliard, FL for my PEPC with the FAA. The final step of the process before I receive my final offer.
On Wednesday I received my counter to counter passes to fly on Delta Airlines. Just my luck all flights from Atlanta to Jacksonville were overbooked. I had to fly into Brunswick Georgia. Luckily the woman I was sitting next to on the plane had the intention to go to Jacksonville and was non-reving like myself. Her husband picked her up and offered me a ride to Jacksonville so that I could make my appointment the next morning. whew!
I woke up at 5am and headed from the Best Western back to the airport to pick up my rental car which we had problems with the previous night. Got it with no problem and began my 45min drive north to the Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) for my appointment. I arrived right on time.
I was very fortunate to have my interview weeks earlier at Milwaukee, becasue I was able skip the interview step at the center. I went directly to a room where members of the Office of Personal Management were seated. The gave me my written tenative offer which I immediately accepted. From there I went directly to the medical. I had to fill out some forms first and give a urine sample. I was then called into the flight surgeon's office and given a through exam. After that was over I was escorted to another room where I was given the eye exam. It was pretty much like at the DMV only a little more in depth. Next I was put in a sound proof room given a headset and had to click a switch everytime I heard a beep in the headset. Next was the EKG test where I was hooked up to a heart monitor. The nurse attached several leds to my chest and I ended up falling asleep. Finally they took another urine sample for a drug test and I was done.
I met back up with my escort for the day, Michael Gunn, who is the air traffic manager for Augusta, GA ATCT/TRACON. I was taken to a different part of the building for the psychological exam. 340 egghead true/false questions mostly asking me if I do sexual things that are abnormal, I have someone controlling my brain, or if I would like to be a florist. You know the type of questions if you have ever had this test. Next I was taken into another room where I completed online all my background information. this step took the longest at about an hour and a half. Finally I was taken to another room and had 2 sets of fingerprints taken, after that was over I was free to leave.
Now the wait is on for 3-4 weeks until I get a yay or nay on my final offer.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Headed to Jacksonville
Well today is the big day. I begin my journey to Jacksonville for my pre-employment testing with the FAA. Earlier this week I obtained my last years worth of medical records to take with me. I filled out all the required forms.
I spent Monday doing laundry and getting things together for my trip. One of the many obstacles was finding a flight down there. My free benefits didn't yield any positive results with open seats. I had to go from counter to counter at the airport to find an airline that had a "fly for free agreement" with Air Wisconsin. I found this with Delta. I had to remind my station manager several times to type up a required letterhead for my travel on Delta. He put it off until the last minute and didn't come into work the last day that I needed it. I had to ask our administrative assistant to type it up, and she said that we didn't have an agreement with Delta. She typed it up none the less. I won't find out if it was approved by Delta until I show up at the airport today. I spoke to Delta's station manager just before I turned it in and he said I should be OK.
After I get out of work I still have to pack my clothes and laptop. The first flight I can make is at 0955. If I get there it will be one of the many lucky breaks I got. I ended up with the last hotel room and rental car in Jacksonville. I just need the weather to cooperate.
I spent Monday doing laundry and getting things together for my trip. One of the many obstacles was finding a flight down there. My free benefits didn't yield any positive results with open seats. I had to go from counter to counter at the airport to find an airline that had a "fly for free agreement" with Air Wisconsin. I found this with Delta. I had to remind my station manager several times to type up a required letterhead for my travel on Delta. He put it off until the last minute and didn't come into work the last day that I needed it. I had to ask our administrative assistant to type it up, and she said that we didn't have an agreement with Delta. She typed it up none the less. I won't find out if it was approved by Delta until I show up at the airport today. I spoke to Delta's station manager just before I turned it in and he said I should be OK.
After I get out of work I still have to pack my clothes and laptop. The first flight I can make is at 0955. If I get there it will be one of the many lucky breaks I got. I ended up with the last hotel room and rental car in Jacksonville. I just need the weather to cooperate.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Next Step in the Process
I called the Aviation Careers division today to check the status of my tentative offer. In doing so I had more questions answered. I advised them that I have flight benefits with US Airways and could go to the next step in the process at anytime wherever it may be held. I was advised that they could squeeze me into the Pre-Employment Processing Center (PEPC) in Jacksonville, FL on Thursday Feb 14th 2007. They also told me that I "could complete the PEPC and get an order to report to OKC within 5 days" which would put me in the March 3rd class. I would also get a copy of my tentative offer at that time.
Upon hearing this news I immediately called my employer to advise them that I needed off work for two days in order to fly to Jacksonville. As of right now it looks like they are going to work with me. In the past getting vacation or a day off was like pulling teeth so I'll see how that goes.
The tentative offer is my golden ticket to a facility visit at PWM. I am really anxious to go out there for a day for 3 reasons. To see the facility which I will be working, scope out potential apartments close to the airport, and to get a good look at Portland.
I'm still very nervous about the PEPC. I really have nothing to worry about per say, its just that there is nothing I can do to make myself look better on paper between now and then credit wise.
I'm nervous about the EKG reading they are going to take.
Anyhow, I have been doing some research on basic things I'll have to pay for once I get to Maine.
I'll have to surrender my Wisconsin drivers license for a Maine one ($40). I have to register my Mustang ($25). I have to transfer my insurance which is $150 less than what I'm paying here. I also looked up the cost of gas which is the same as it is here minus the ethanol. I also need to contact the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority to see if I can convert my IPASS to an EZ-PASS so I can use it on the Maine Turnpike and all the other major toll roads in the United States.
This past weekend I had a long conversation with my girlfriend as to what's going to happen with us when I leave. The decision was made that I will complete OKC, move to Portland and start getting signed off on my positions. Once I get to Portland she will put her condo on the market and make preparations to move to Portland. She did express that when we start a family the kids are to go to school back in the midwest. This gives me plenty of time to get my CPC and put in for a transfer. You never know though maybe we will both like it in Portland. Only time will tell.
Today I was scoping out the job market for here in the area. I noticed that US Airways is hiring for part-time customer service agents. This would be a great opportunity for both of us to reestablish flight benefits to come back whenever possible to visit.
Upon hearing this news I immediately called my employer to advise them that I needed off work for two days in order to fly to Jacksonville. As of right now it looks like they are going to work with me. In the past getting vacation or a day off was like pulling teeth so I'll see how that goes.
The tentative offer is my golden ticket to a facility visit at PWM. I am really anxious to go out there for a day for 3 reasons. To see the facility which I will be working, scope out potential apartments close to the airport, and to get a good look at Portland.
I'm still very nervous about the PEPC. I really have nothing to worry about per say, its just that there is nothing I can do to make myself look better on paper between now and then credit wise.
I'm nervous about the EKG reading they are going to take.
Anyhow, I have been doing some research on basic things I'll have to pay for once I get to Maine.
I'll have to surrender my Wisconsin drivers license for a Maine one ($40). I have to register my Mustang ($25). I have to transfer my insurance which is $150 less than what I'm paying here. I also looked up the cost of gas which is the same as it is here minus the ethanol. I also need to contact the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority to see if I can convert my IPASS to an EZ-PASS so I can use it on the Maine Turnpike and all the other major toll roads in the United States.
This past weekend I had a long conversation with my girlfriend as to what's going to happen with us when I leave. The decision was made that I will complete OKC, move to Portland and start getting signed off on my positions. Once I get to Portland she will put her condo on the market and make preparations to move to Portland. She did express that when we start a family the kids are to go to school back in the midwest. This gives me plenty of time to get my CPC and put in for a transfer. You never know though maybe we will both like it in Portland. Only time will tell.
Today I was scoping out the job market for here in the area. I noticed that US Airways is hiring for part-time customer service agents. This would be a great opportunity for both of us to reestablish flight benefits to come back whenever possible to visit.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Starting the Blog with background information
How's it going?
I decided to use this site rather than myspace so that it can be made public without the annoyances and junk mail.
A little background information:
I live in a burb of Milwaukee with my cousin/roommate
I work fulltime for a private security company 3rd shift
I work part-time for Air Wisconsin Airlines who ground handles for United Airlines
I have a wonderful girlfriend who lives in Chicago.
I recently have been pursuing a career change and have chose the path of what I once thought to be my dream job if I wasn't going into law enforcement. That career is with the Federal Aviation Administration as an air traffic control specialist.
This dream started becoming a reality on a rainy Wednesday night on the 2nd of May in 2007. Upon arriving to work I got on the computer and out of fate or a stroke of boredom logged onto the FAA job website. I saw a position that was marked "Air Traffic Control Specialist - Public". I opened the link and read the requirements. My heart began to race because after a quick review I had the qualifications to apply for the position. However, the posting close date was May 2nd 2007 at midnight. I worked as quickly as possible filling out all the required information and completed it by the midnight deadline.
Months went by without any updates on the website. I pretty much put applying for the position out of my mind and continued to live week to week. In the meantime I obtained a second job with Air Wisconsin as a Customer Service Agent. I took a 2 trips to Boston on my free flight benefits. (The second trip was the most fun). I bought a newer car (2006 Ford Mustang), and moved to Cudahy. It was around that time I got the letter.
In mid-September I received a letter from Robinson Aviation (an FAA contractor) stating that I had been selected to take the AT-SAT test. This was the aptitude test for the air traffic control position which I applied for back in May. I was to report to the Highlander Inn located in Manchester, NH on October 1st at 7am. Thankfully I was working for Air Wisconsin and had those flight benefits. I was able to fly from Milwaukee to Philadelphia on to Manchester for free to take the test.
Once in Manchester and the weeks leading up to my trip I was nervous. I didn't know what to expect. I decided to do some research and see what this test was all about. I found a summary of the test on a website which is made up of others like myself trying to get hired as an ATCer. I had an idea what was going to be on this test, but being an aptitude test you really can't study for it. My biggest fear was the math portion.
While taking the test I kept calling my girlfriend during the breaks to vent and to get some moral support. At that point I'm not sure who was hoping I would do well more... her or me. I crashed a few planes in the simulator portion of the exam which left me with a feeling that I didn't do so well.
2 weeks after taking the AT-SAT after checking the FAA ASAP site (which has the status of my application) daily, sometimes more my hope was starting to dwindle. On 10/17/2007 I logged into the site and was very excited to see that I obtained a passing and qualified score.
Months passed, no new news on the next step of the process until I obtained several emails from the FAA stating that I had been placed on the referral list for Manchster,NH Tower, Boston Center, Bangor,ME Air Traffic Control Tower/Terminal RAdar CONtrol, and Portland, ME ATCT/TRACON. At that time I had to rank my preference for each of the facilities. I had to fill out some paperwork and fax it into the FAA.
I
ts January, anticipation is building to see if this dream was going to take a step closer to coming true. I received several emails in that month. One stating that all my paperwork and file have been transferred over to the Aviation Careers Division within the FAA for further processing. I also got the email I thought I would never get. I had been selected for an interview with the FAA and to accommodate me they were going to set it up at the Milwaukee ATCT/TRACON. The Aviation Careers Division didn't give me a date for the interview just "3-4 weeks".
Now we are in the present! I received a phone call on Friday January 25th at 4:50pm the message on the machine was from the Air Traffic Manager at Milwaukee with her number to set up a date and a time for my interview. Upon receiving the message I called her on her cell phone and we agreed on Thursday Jan 31st at 11am. I am on cloud nine. I am getting a chance to sell myself as an average joe with limited aviation experience and no formal training at an approved FAA Controller Training college for a job pushing tin with the FAA. My first thought was.... I have nothing to wear to the interview. I again consulted the website which has been so helpful in this whole process and got some fantastic feedback from others who had taken the interview earlier in the year. I was afraid I would have to buy a suit, but that wasn't the case. Others before me had gone in a nice shirt, khakis and a tie. I headed out to the Men's Warehouse and got just that.
Interview Day! The day did not start out as planned. I worked 3rd shift the night before the interview and was exhausted when I got home at 7am. I thought I would lay down and take a short nap. I had my phone set to vibrate instead of alarm only and it didn't go off when I wanted it to.... or I snoozed it... either way I woke up 20min before I had to be there. I scrambled, jumped in the shower very quickly, got dressed and couldn't find my dress shoes.... that was until I remembered that they were in the trunk of my car. I bolted out the door. Luckily I only live 15min from the airport under "normal driving conditions". I care not to disclose how I got there in 5min but I got there nonetheless. As I was being let in the front door the Air Traffic
Manager was just walking out of a meeting. Talk about being RIGHT on time.
I introduced myself to the Air Traffic Manager and her assistant who was also hired of the street during the 1981 PATCO strike. We got started by talking about which facility I had been chosen for. I had assumed since the referral list that I would be going to Bangor and feared going to Boston Center (the enroute facility that works traffic that has already departed the airport and is enroute at high altitude). She told me I had been selected for Portland Jetport ATCT/TRACON (PWM). We briefly discussed my feelings about really wanting to come to a place like Milwaukee. She said I could come to Milwaukee but I would have to turn down the Portland position, wait a few more months and then get selected for Milwaukee. She couldn't put that in writing which made me feel uneasy about taking a risk like that. Anyhow, it was a basic interview with no ATC related questions. At the end I requested a tour and got a chance to get a very brief feel for how Milwaukee operates. I did a tour once before which I mentioned in the interview not much has changed. At the conclusion of the interview I was advised that she needed to send an evaluation on the interview to the Aviation Careers Division at which time I would receive my tentative offer of employment. I was and still am ecstatic! I am one step closer to my dream job. All I have left is a 2nd class Medical, psychological, and background investigation for security clearance.
The hard part of knowing where I am going now is being faced with several hard decisions. I will have to move away from family, I may have to find my cousin a roommate for the rest of the lease pending my Oklahoma City start date, how to pay my bills when I'm only making $8/hr + per deim for 3 months at OKC. The hardest thing though is going to be this weekend when I formally sit down with my girlfriend explain what has happened, what's next in the process, and the fact that moving to Maine is starting to become a reality rather than a "what if".
Until my next post, it will be business as usual....... trying not to get my hopes up and take each step, one step at a time.
I decided to use this site rather than myspace so that it can be made public without the annoyances and junk mail.
A little background information:
I live in a burb of Milwaukee with my cousin/roommate
I work fulltime for a private security company 3rd shift
I work part-time for Air Wisconsin Airlines who ground handles for United Airlines
I have a wonderful girlfriend who lives in Chicago.
I recently have been pursuing a career change and have chose the path of what I once thought to be my dream job if I wasn't going into law enforcement. That career is with the Federal Aviation Administration as an air traffic control specialist.
This dream started becoming a reality on a rainy Wednesday night on the 2nd of May in 2007. Upon arriving to work I got on the computer and out of fate or a stroke of boredom logged onto the FAA job website. I saw a position that was marked "Air Traffic Control Specialist - Public". I opened the link and read the requirements. My heart began to race because after a quick review I had the qualifications to apply for the position. However, the posting close date was May 2nd 2007 at midnight. I worked as quickly as possible filling out all the required information and completed it by the midnight deadline.
Months went by without any updates on the website. I pretty much put applying for the position out of my mind and continued to live week to week. In the meantime I obtained a second job with Air Wisconsin as a Customer Service Agent. I took a 2 trips to Boston on my free flight benefits. (The second trip was the most fun). I bought a newer car (2006 Ford Mustang), and moved to Cudahy. It was around that time I got the letter.
In mid-September I received a letter from Robinson Aviation (an FAA contractor) stating that I had been selected to take the AT-SAT test. This was the aptitude test for the air traffic control position which I applied for back in May. I was to report to the Highlander Inn located in Manchester, NH on October 1st at 7am. Thankfully I was working for Air Wisconsin and had those flight benefits. I was able to fly from Milwaukee to Philadelphia on to Manchester for free to take the test.
Once in Manchester and the weeks leading up to my trip I was nervous. I didn't know what to expect. I decided to do some research and see what this test was all about. I found a summary of the test on a website which is made up of others like myself trying to get hired as an ATCer. I had an idea what was going to be on this test, but being an aptitude test you really can't study for it. My biggest fear was the math portion.
While taking the test I kept calling my girlfriend during the breaks to vent and to get some moral support. At that point I'm not sure who was hoping I would do well more... her or me. I crashed a few planes in the simulator portion of the exam which left me with a feeling that I didn't do so well.
2 weeks after taking the AT-SAT after checking the FAA ASAP site (which has the status of my application) daily, sometimes more my hope was starting to dwindle. On 10/17/2007 I logged into the site and was very excited to see that I obtained a passing and qualified score.
Months passed, no new news on the next step of the process until I obtained several emails from the FAA stating that I had been placed on the referral list for Manchster,NH Tower, Boston Center, Bangor,ME Air Traffic Control Tower/Terminal RAdar CONtrol, and Portland, ME ATCT/TRACON. At that time I had to rank my preference for each of the facilities. I had to fill out some paperwork and fax it into the FAA.
I
ts January, anticipation is building to see if this dream was going to take a step closer to coming true. I received several emails in that month. One stating that all my paperwork and file have been transferred over to the Aviation Careers Division within the FAA for further processing. I also got the email I thought I would never get. I had been selected for an interview with the FAA and to accommodate me they were going to set it up at the Milwaukee ATCT/TRACON. The Aviation Careers Division didn't give me a date for the interview just "3-4 weeks".
Now we are in the present! I received a phone call on Friday January 25th at 4:50pm the message on the machine was from the Air Traffic Manager at Milwaukee with her number to set up a date and a time for my interview. Upon receiving the message I called her on her cell phone and we agreed on Thursday Jan 31st at 11am. I am on cloud nine. I am getting a chance to sell myself as an average joe with limited aviation experience and no formal training at an approved FAA Controller Training college for a job pushing tin with the FAA. My first thought was.... I have nothing to wear to the interview. I again consulted the website which has been so helpful in this whole process and got some fantastic feedback from others who had taken the interview earlier in the year. I was afraid I would have to buy a suit, but that wasn't the case. Others before me had gone in a nice shirt, khakis and a tie. I headed out to the Men's Warehouse and got just that.
Interview Day! The day did not start out as planned. I worked 3rd shift the night before the interview and was exhausted when I got home at 7am. I thought I would lay down and take a short nap. I had my phone set to vibrate instead of alarm only and it didn't go off when I wanted it to.... or I snoozed it... either way I woke up 20min before I had to be there. I scrambled, jumped in the shower very quickly, got dressed and couldn't find my dress shoes.... that was until I remembered that they were in the trunk of my car. I bolted out the door. Luckily I only live 15min from the airport under "normal driving conditions". I care not to disclose how I got there in 5min but I got there nonetheless. As I was being let in the front door the Air Traffic
Manager was just walking out of a meeting. Talk about being RIGHT on time.
I introduced myself to the Air Traffic Manager and her assistant who was also hired of the street during the 1981 PATCO strike. We got started by talking about which facility I had been chosen for. I had assumed since the referral list that I would be going to Bangor and feared going to Boston Center (the enroute facility that works traffic that has already departed the airport and is enroute at high altitude). She told me I had been selected for Portland Jetport ATCT/TRACON (PWM). We briefly discussed my feelings about really wanting to come to a place like Milwaukee. She said I could come to Milwaukee but I would have to turn down the Portland position, wait a few more months and then get selected for Milwaukee. She couldn't put that in writing which made me feel uneasy about taking a risk like that. Anyhow, it was a basic interview with no ATC related questions. At the end I requested a tour and got a chance to get a very brief feel for how Milwaukee operates. I did a tour once before which I mentioned in the interview not much has changed. At the conclusion of the interview I was advised that she needed to send an evaluation on the interview to the Aviation Careers Division at which time I would receive my tentative offer of employment. I was and still am ecstatic! I am one step closer to my dream job. All I have left is a 2nd class Medical, psychological, and background investigation for security clearance.
The hard part of knowing where I am going now is being faced with several hard decisions. I will have to move away from family, I may have to find my cousin a roommate for the rest of the lease pending my Oklahoma City start date, how to pay my bills when I'm only making $8/hr + per deim for 3 months at OKC. The hardest thing though is going to be this weekend when I formally sit down with my girlfriend explain what has happened, what's next in the process, and the fact that moving to Maine is starting to become a reality rather than a "what if".
Until my next post, it will be business as usual....... trying not to get my hopes up and take each step, one step at a time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)